Well yes, sometimes nice stuff happens:
Jihyun Park and Timothy Chow understand the meaning of hardship. Both suffered under the brutal North Korean regime, enduring famine, the deaths of family members and imprisonment in forced labour camps – before fleeing and eventually receiving asylum in the UK.
Wanting to give something back to the country that gave them safe haven, the pair have teamed up with other members of the North Korean community to donate a total of 7,000 sets of personal protective equipment to seven care homes in the north of England.
"I escaped North Korea two times," says Jihyun, who lives in Manchester. "The first time I only escaped as far as China where I was married off to a farmer and effectively became his slave. I was later sent back to North Korea and forced to work in a labour camp in the mountains."
Stockport-based Timothy Chow's experience was also harrowing. He grew up during a famine in the 1990s known as the Arduous March, a period of mass starvation which left anywhere between one and three million North Koreans dead.
"I grew up during the famine and lived on the street for years," he says. "It wasn't just me; there were thousands of children living on the streets. There was no help from the government, only the threat of imprisonment, torture and oppression. It was a strange life, but that was my childhood."
After successfully escaping the North Korean regime, both Jihyun and Timothy received asylum in the UK.
"When I arrived in England in 2008, I couldn't speak any English," says Jihyun. "But people were so kind and welcoming. I cried and cried, because in North Korea, I didn't feel welcome, but in the UK people made me feel at home."
Timothy had a similar experience. "It was very difficult when I first came here with no friends or family. But I was quickly welcomed into the community.
"In North Korea, people are being spied on all the time and you cannot trust anybody. But here in the UK, the warmth of the community has been wonderful."
Jihyun and Timothy credit this generosity of spirit when they were at their most vulnerable, with fuelling their desire to help the Covid-stricken UK.
"I was following the news and seeing that so many people were dying and I thought how can I help?" says Jihyun.
"When I lived in North Korea, I was a teacher and my students would often complain that their stomachs ached from hunger. But at that time I couldn't do anything to help. Now I'm in a position where I can help.
"And there are nearly 700 North Koreans in the UK who also want to show their gratitude."
Jihyun and Timothy enlisted the help of another defector living in South Korea, and were able to import the 7,000 PPE sets they donated to English care homes.
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